The next thing Lily saw after opening her eyes was a luxurious private room. She thought she was dreaming. She blinked twice and looked around.
It took a minute for her to realise she was on the bed and not only that, she was wearing the blue pyjamas with a hospital's logo on them.
'What is happening?' She tried to get up. But something pulled her back. Her eyes fell on her left foot which was entirely wrapped with a heavy bandage.
'THE FUCK!' Now her eyes were wide open.
'How did I end up here? I have no money for father's bail, let alone pay for my hospital bills…'
Just then a doctor walked in. 'So, you are up...how are you feeling?'
Lily kept mum.
'We saw you unconscious at the entrance. A young man brought you in. If it were not for him, your foot would have caught a nasty infection'.
Lily became perplexed. 'Young man?'
Lily repeated herself.
The doctor smiled. 'A lot has happened after you lost consciousness. Your relative already paid for this.'
'WHAT?' Lily could not believe what she was hearing. There was no relative in the first place.
'What relative? Who was it?'
The doctor replied. 'Very tall guy...hazel eyes...he went by the name of...let me recall- Marcus!'
'Marcus?' Lily pondered. She could picture the handsome man that she met at the police station. Why did he come back again? Why would he pay for her? She felt extremely humiliated.
Before she could react, the doctor's phone buzzed and he walked outside.
Lily clutched the blanket tightly. 'That asshole...what does he think of me?'
She pulled her body up with all her strength and tried to get down the bed. 'I refuse to get treated by someone else's money. It is better untreated…'
She put her wounded foot on the floor. It ached, but it ached lesser than the last time.
'I will throw $60 on his face.'
Her hand went into her pocket and she dialled Zenaya's number.
'Lee, are you crazy?' Zenaya was whispering. 'The boss is so fucking mad at you for…'
Lily interrupted midway. 'I need help. I am at the Central Hospital with no money and...and...dad has…' she burst into tears.
'Lily? What happened?'
'My dad...I...don't know what to do…'
Zenaya consoled her calmly. 'Cool down, Lee. Shh! I am coming right over. Central Hospital, right? Will be there in 10.'
Lily sniffed and wiped her face. Just then, her phone buzzed. She thought it was Zenaya again. But seeing DAD written on top elated her.
'Dad?'
'Lee, I am out.' She could hear the joy in his voice.
'Really?'
The father replied. 'Thanks, Lee. How did you manage so much money on time?'
Lily kept mum. She thought to herself. 'I paid no money. How did he get out?'
She smiled and pretended. 'It does not matter. What matters is that you are out!'
After cutting the call, she got a message from the same unknown number which she thought was fake.
"Got your father out! Consider this as an advance payment!'
She stared at her bandaged foot and felt a sense of gratitude. Anger had superseded. 'Marcus,' she muttered. 'Who is this guy? He does not seem to be playing a prank...does it mean...that $68000 is not fake?'
Lily jerked at the idea. 'Insane…' she thought to herself. Just then, a nurse came. She dropped a card just in front of Lily before she got in. It looked deliberate.
Lily's eyes fell on the card. It was the same card Marcus had given to her.
She gulped in and bent to pick it up. This time, she smiled when she read the text.
'You can get $68000 if…you sell your virginity.'
She could feel a slight twitch in her stomach as if there were a thousand butterflies inside. She could picture her naked body pressed against Marcus'. His muscular hand on her chin, slowly moving down...his lips pressed tightly against her neck. She could hear his slight moan. That husky voice. And hazel coloured eyes. Lily scratched his bare arms that flung her on the bed and came closer. Now he was staring deeply into her eyes. His thumb caressed her watery lips and he bent down to kiss her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back...
Just then her wheelchair moved which pulled Lily out of her dirty thoughts. There was a nurse that held the handle.
'Shall I escort you to your room, Miss?' She smiled at Lily.
Lily could hear the husky voice of Marcus asking the question: 'do you consent to it?'
'YES!' Lily shouted pleasantly after imagining the romantic encounter with Marcus, a stranger that pulled her father out of jail. Lily could not stop smiling.
Lily felt a gentle push of her wheelchair.
'Shall I escort you to your room, miss?' The nurse asked kindly, after all Lily was a VIP patient with a lounge.
As the nurse pulled her wheelchair, she said:
'You have a visitor.'
'Me?' Lily was on cloud nine. She thought it was Marcus. She tried to suppress her excitement and cussed at herself. 'What is wrong with you, Lily?'
She responded to the nurse. 'Oh. I did not know. Please usher me back to my room.'
'Sure,' the nurse held the handle again and strode the wheelchair forward.
As they got nearer to her room, her heart bounced frivolously. 'Why am I getting so excited to meet that dumbass?' Lily could not understand why a part of her felt so eager to look at Marcus again.
But to her surprise, there was no Marcus. The nurse opened the door of the gigantic room. There, she saw her best friend standing before the transparent wall.
'Woah...look at that!'
'Zenaya?' Lily's sweet voice reached Zenaya's ears which pulled her from her preoccupation.
'Lily…' her expression turned to a serious one when she saw her best friend in a wheelchair with a bandaged foot. '...what happened?' She ran towards Lily.